The Browns ended the week the same way they started it – feeling humiliated, dejected and embarrassed.
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Green thinks that the much maligned Dalton is going to get his due. The Bengals have made the playoffs every year they’ve led the team.
Manziel was demoted from starter to third quarterback November 24 after he spent the bye weekend partying then lied to Pettine about it. Manziel hasn’t spoken to the media since being benched.
“Tough. Frustrating”, said Browns coach Mike Pettine, whose days with Cleveland may be dwindling. They also now will have at least have a 3 game lead on the AFC North depending on the outcome of the Steelers game Sunday night.
With its biggest win over Cleveland, Cincinnati moved to the brink of making the playoffs for the fifth straight season, a stretch of success Browns fans haven’t seen in generations. He hurled a pair of touchdowns and did not turn the ball over once. This was a slow, methodical pummeling.
With another close finish, Baltimore became the first team in National Football League history to have its first 12 games decided by eight or fewer points.
“We’re just going to fall back on what we know how to do”.
Johnny Manziel will return as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns after a two-game benching for his off-the-field behavior, according to reports Monday.
Wide receiver Brian Hartline stayed in despite a bruised thigh.
But on the other side, the Bengals were flat-out dominant.
Pettine named Davis the starter last week after veteran Josh McCown was placed on injured reserve with a broken collarbone, but the coach added choosing the starting quarterback would be a “weekly thing” for the remainder of the season.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) is congratulated by A.J. Green (18) after scoring a 3-yard touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. It was a commendable performance, but not enough for Pettine to guarantee giving him another start next week against San Francisco. Mike Pettine would clarify following the game that Williams assumed there would be help over the top, but man, this was a brutal day for No. 22. Watch Pro Bowl safety Tashaun Gipson trying to get the perimeter guys squared away, only to see the snap catch him looking the other way when Dalton squirmed in behind his back. Atkins was a constant concern for the Browns offensive line, who continuously changed looks during the game to try and stop him.
“Our goal was to just keep them out of field goal range”, linebacker Vontaze Burfict said.
Cincinnati’s top-rated defense had little trouble shutting down the Browns, who lost two wide receivers to injuries during the game and don’t have the kind of playmakers who have transformed the Bengals from doormats into one of the NFL’s best teams.
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“It certainly wasn’t part of the plan”, Davis said.
